Keeping things tidy brings psychological benefits 保持物品整洁会带来心理上的益处

张岳

日本的“收纳女王”近藤麻理惠因为特别会整理、收纳登上《时代周刊》。她把自己数十年的收纳经验写成书后，该书被翻译成多国语言，全球销量近百万！无数粉丝直呼：“她拯救了我的生活！”

How does keeping things tidy change people psychologically？ You gain greater confidence in yourself. Also， you become more optimistic and calmer in mind than before. There are several reasons for these changes： your self?image improves as you start living in tidy beautiful rooms， and you gain decision?making skills as you continue to choose between which things to throw or give away and which to keep. The way we let go of things in the KonMari Method plays an important role as well.

The KonMari Method has a step where we give thanks to the things before we throw them away. Not only would you say “thank you for sparking joy in me” to a favorite piece of clothing that you wore till it was threadbare ， you would also say to a piece of clothing you never wore once“thank you for teaching me that this color doesnt look good on me”. You will appreciate the roles of all the things that have come to you and experience appreciation for all of them. Through this experience， you will rediscover the truth that you have been supported by so many things and you will deepen your gratitude for things you leave behind.

To share a personal example， I have always had little confidence in myself. When I get nervous before a large speaking assignment， I think to myself that Ill be fine because these clothes are protecting me and these shoes are supporting me， and that calms me down. Once you start feeling constant gratitude for your things and your home through tidying up， you will start feeling relief and calm as if you are always protected by something larger than you.

[Reading][Check]

1. What psychological change may tidiness bring to people？

A. They will become less optimistic.

B. Their confidence will become less.

C. They will become more confident.

D. Their self?image will be damaged.

2. What does the underlined word “threadbare” in the second paragraph probably mean？

A. Fancy.                 B. Worn out.

C. Fashionable.             D. Out of date.

3. What should people show to clothes they have never worn in the KonMari Method？

A. Worry.     B. Regret.    C. Patience.     D. Gratitude.

4. Why does the author mention his own experience in the last paragraph？

A. To show off his wonderful speaking skills.

B. To give an example of the benefit of tidiness.

C. To explain how he has become a confident person.

D. To show his special taste in choosing suitable clothes.

[Language][Study]

Not only would you say “thank you for sparking joy in me” to a favorite piece of clothing that you wore till it was threadbare， you would also say to a piece of clothing you never wore once “thank you for teaching me that this color doesnt look good on me”. 你不僅要对你最喜欢的一件衣服说“谢谢你激起了我内心的快乐”，还要对一件你从未穿过的衣服说“谢谢你教会我这种颜色不适合我”。

【点石成金】这是一个由not only...but also...连接的并列句，but可以省略。英语中not only和 but also后面都有主谓结构时，如果not only位于第一个分句主语之前，则该分句要部分倒装;后一个分句，即but后面的句子不用倒装。